ANDERSON (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Another Bar topnotcher is a Cebuana.
Mandy Therese Anderson studied law at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and placed fifth in the 2015 Bar Examinations.
“I am a proud Cebuana and will always be,” said the 29-year-old Bar topnotcher who is currently based in Manila.
She said she planned to practice law in Manila for a few years before returning to Cebu to establish her own law firm.
Anderson’s family is based in Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City.
She finished high school at the Cebu City National Science High School, then proceeded to get a degree in accountancy from the University of San Carlos (USC).
She worked briefly for SGV before she decided to take up law.
Anderson keeps an image of the Sto. Niño de Cebu and prays before it every day.
During the Bar exams last November, she brought with her a stampita or a small picture of the child Jesus.
Anderson passed what has always been considered the toughest licensure exams in the country and placed fifth with an average of 86.15 percent or just one point behind the highest score of 87.40 percent received by Rachel Angeli Miranda of the University of the Philippines.
Two USC graduates also landed in the top 10 of last year’s Bar exams. Athena Plaza, also a Cebuana, finished second while Jecca Jacildo, a native of Cagayan de Oro, ranked eighth.
Although she was top of her class in ADMU, Anderson said she never expected to be a topnotcher in the Bar exams.
“When I learned about the results, I was really dumbfounded. I was surprised. I had to read the list twice to find out if it was really true,” she told CDN in a phone interview.
Passing a licensure examination is not new to Anderson. In 2009, she also passed the Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination.
Anderson credits her successes to three ingredients: hard work, discipline and prayer.
She advised those who want to become lawyers to never give up on their dream.
“Keep working hard. Set a schedule for yourself and strictly follow it. Don’t give up even if you feel like doing so,” she said.
Her cousin Tercel Mercado-Gephart of USC also placed fifth in the 2013 Bar exams.
Anderson’s family owns a taxi fleet in Cebu and a realty business.
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